Welcome to the Mad in America podcast, a new weekly discussion that searches for the truth about psychiatric prescription drugs and mental health care worldwide.

This podcast is part of Mad in America’s mission to serve as a catalyst for rethinking psychiatric care. We believe that the current drug-based paradigm of care has failed our society and that scientific research, as well as the lived experience of those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, calls for profound change.

On the podcast over the coming weeks, we will have interviews with experts and those with lived experience of the psychiatric system.

Thank you for joining us as we discuss the many issues around rethinking psychiatric care around the world.

This week, Megan
talks about her experience with anxiety and insomnia and how that
led to her being prescribed an antidepressant. She also talks about
her two failed attempts to withdraw and how that meant she
approached her tapering more carefully to ensure that she could
minimise the withdrawal effects.

In this episode we
discuss:

How Megan had sleep difficulties
and how her doctor prescribed an antidepressant for
insomnia

That Megan didn't even know what
she was taking was an antidepressant

After 2 years, Megan started to
think about coming off her medication

That her doctor at the time
advised her to withdraw over 2 weeks after Megan had been taking
the antidepressant for 2 years

How Megan found the increase in
suicidal thinking the most frightening effect of withdrawal but
that she did not realise at the time that this was caused by
stopping the drug

How no one understood that what
Megan was experiencing was caused by antidepressant
withdrawal

How doctors prescribed more
medication to try and counter the symptoms of
withdrawal

How Megan had to go back on her
antidepressant and double the dose to remove the withdrawal
effects

That the prospect of starting a
family led Megan to consider stopping again and she then found an
entire community of others who were struggling with the drugs
themselves

How, having realised that her
initial attempt to stop was too fast, Megan then decided to change
to a different anti anxiety medication

How Megan planned to take four
months to withdraw but still found this too fast and she
experienced a wide range withdrawal effects

How a doctor prescribed an
additional three medications on top of the antidepressant and anti
anxiety medication

How those withdrawal effects
forced Megan to go back up to 20mg of her antidepressant, meaning
that Megan felt trapped

About the Podcast

Welcome to the Mad in America podcast, a new weekly discussion that searches for the truth about psychiatric prescription drugs and mental health care worldwide.
This podcast is part of Mad in America’s mission to serve as a catalyst for rethinking psychiatric care and mental health. We believe that the current drug-based paradigm of care has failed our society and that scientific research, as well as the lived experience of those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, calls for profound change.
On the podcast over the coming weeks, we will have interviews with experts and those with lived experience of the psychiatric system. Thank you for joining us as we discuss the many issues around rethinking mental health around the world.
For more information visit madinamerica.com
To contact us email podcasts@madinamerica.com